Working more than 10-14 hours a day, millions of online motorcycle taxi drivers, commonly known as ojol, continue to struggle with low incomes and uncertainty. Low earnings, long working hours, and daily operational costs have pushed this profession further away from the promise of prosperity.
Every day, they crowd the streets, transporting passengers, food, and goods, connecting household needs with economic centers. Unfortunately, behind this seemingly dynamic mobility, the lives of most ojol drivers remain stagnant.
A lecturer at the Department of Social Development and Welfare (PSdK), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fisipol UGM), Dr. Hempri Suyatna, responded to the issue, stating that various research findings show workers involved in the platform sector, including online motorcycle taxi drivers, face vulnerabilities such as job insecurity, income instability, and weak social rights protection.
These conditions increase their risk of falling into poverty. In this regard, efforts are needed to develop a social protection model.
“So far, there has been no comprehensive social protection model to protect them,” he said at UGM on Thursday (Feb. 12).
Dr. Suyatna explained that existing social protection models remain limited and partial, and workers themselves are usually proactive in registering, but the system is not well institutionalized. Therefore, he noted, there is a need to establish a digital ecosystem capable of protecting workers on such platforms.
“Labor regulations are needed to guarantee wages, social security, or insurance for workers in the online sector,” he said.
In addition, there must be regulations governing a fairer wage calculation model. Meanwhile, regarding insurance, platform companies should be required to provide insurance coverage for online motorcycle taxi drivers, for example, through the Social Security Agency for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) mechanism.
“At the same time, strengthening the social capital of online motorcycle taxi drivers must also be maintained. Their strong social solidarity and mutual support should serve as important capital in developing informal social security schemes for online motorcycle taxi drivers,” he suggested.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photograph: Tangsel Life